Dining Out: Signs of a Restaurant with Excellent Ambiance and Atmosphere

“A well-run restaurant is like a winning baseball team. It makes the most of every crew member’s talent and takes advantage of every split-second opportunity to speed up service” –David Ogilvy

 

Dining out has always been seen as somewhat of a luxurious weekend activity depending on the kind of restaurant you choose.

After all, you are granted an opportunity not to cook and clean up after yourself for a price. In this regard, many might associate eating at restaurants as an activity that is saved only for special occasions. However, there are also many of us who would choose to dine in restaurants and eateries in order to save time. Whatever your reasoning for eating out might be, dining at restaurants form part of our monthly, if not weekly, jaunts and excursions. However, if eating out becomes more than just your average weekend excursion and your everyday routine becomes saturated with client dinner meetings at restaurants and luncheons with prospective leads, would you be able to identify that well-made restaurant that stands out? Chances are you would. Apart from developing a uniquely refined palate, there is an increased chance of you distinguishing which restaurants are on par with global standards when it comes to service and professionalism.

More importantly, you would be able to pick out which restaurants are great for private client meetings and which ones are appropriate for group gatherings which all boils down to one factor: Ambiance. Indeed, not all restaurants are made the same. Some are more appropriate for sit-down dinners that give you a little privacy which makes them perfect for dates and meetings. There are also dining places that are great for groups and would cater to parties and family gatherings. However, regardless of what kind of restaurant it might be, it should always strive to give customers the kind of atmosphere that would encourage them to come back. In this regard, would you be able to tell if a restaurant has created an awesome atmosphere? Although there are quite a myriad of things that influence a good restaurant experience (good food and excellent service among them), the customers’ needs should be a forefront consideration. The little details in each restaurant should align with their brand while taking care not to overlook your needs and experience. In this regard, the overall impression and vibe would be cohesive and would suit just about any diner.

So, on your next dine out venture, here are some of the aspects that make a good ambiance—whether you are eating in any of the Nuvali restaurants or elsewhere.

 

Restaurant Concept

A restaurant should have a concept which would be a creative them that is unique to them. Apart from serving themed food, the restaurant should also convey a story as to who they are and what makes them such a good restaurant. Excellent concepts stem from the restaurant’s history or unique offerings and should be able to connect both their food and beverage menu to its history, style, fashion, culture and environment. The concept is an imperative factor as it commands the entire energy of the restaurant.

 

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a foremost factor when it comes to restaurant ambiance. After all, how would you be comfortable with what you eat if you are surrounded by muck and filth and just general grime? A restaurant’s cleanliness is usually an indicator of how clean or dirty the kitchen would be. If you have noticed that things are dirty and disorganized, you can probably expect the same from the kitchen (maybe even worse as it is hidden from view). Apart from giving off a bad vibe, dirty restaurants also drag the energy down. For this reason, restaurateurs should make cleanliness a paramount consideration when it comes to creating a good ambiance for their restaurants.

 

Staff

The staff—especially those that interact with customers—should contribute to creating an overall good restaurant ambiance. The energy of your restaurant is often hinged on how well the staff treats its diners and patrons. Everyone from the maitre d’ to the servers, busboys, chefs, cooks and the like should contribute in elevating the overall atmosphere. Employees should be helpful and friendly when interacting with their customers. More importantly, employees should be well-versed about what they are serving so that they would not have any difficulty in answering customer’s queries about the menu.

 

Lighting

While often overlooked, lighting is an imperative factor when it comes to creating a good restaurant ambiance. It usually sets the tone that would produce a feel and vibe analogous to your restaurant’s overall theme. Of course, the lighting has to match the restaurant’s concept or else it would fail. Elegant and romantic restaurants would often have grand crystal chandeliers and candlelight lighting whereas fun and colorful lighting would be better off in family-themed and child-appropriate restaurants.

 

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Pro-Tips on Saving: Compelling Reasons to Stop Eating Out

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating” –Luciano Pavarotti

 

For many, eating out is considered a luxury—one that is to be indulged in only every now and then. For most families, eating out is somewhat like an event such as when one is celebrating a momentous occasion like birthdays and anniversaries. More importantly, dining out allows us to enjoy the culinary and epicurean creations of someone other than ourselves–a professional if you may. In this regard, we do not have to even give a second thought about meal preparations and cleaning up after. Indeed, dining at restaurants is an excellent activity for when you are feeling particularly sociable or lazy. Plus, it allows you to enjoy good food in a different milieu and resultantly give you less work to do for the evening.

Unfortunately, while dining out is not exactly harmful per se, there is a limit as to how often you should opt to eat meals served by others for several reasons. Primarily, regularly eating out can cost your budget to suffer and if you are just starting out, it is not exactly a sustainable way to maintain a reasonable monthly—or even weekly expense. Eating out more than twice a week is no longer considered a healthy reward for yourself and can easily devolve to a bad habit. Sure, there is quite a lot t be enjoyed about eating out but it is best enjoyed in moderation. So, in lieu of taking a gander at what the new Nuvali restaurants or other eateries has to offer, take a look at this list and encourage yourself to eat in more often.

Below are the different negative effects of eating out and why you would fare so much better eating home cooked meals regularly:

 

It is expensive

Regardless of how you look at it, eating out will always cost you more than it would had you just consumed a home cooked meal. Remember, you are not only paying for the meal itself in restaurants but the service rendered to you as well. Similarly, the location and the ambiance contribute to your overall bill. After all, the establishment you are patronizing would still need to make a profit out of it all. Cooking for yourself means you have more leverage about what ingredients to use which means you can go for cheaper ones that would not cost you much. More importantly, the chain of action is much shorter and at the same time, you can use the very same ingredients you have bought for many other dishes. In fact, your weekly grocery can potentially feed you for the next two weeks depending on what you buy whereas a single meal at a fancy restaurant can already pay for your groceries in a week.

 

It is time consuming

Sure, cooking on your own might require you to prep a meal and clean up after yourself. However, it is still considerably less time-consuming than it would have been had you eaten out. Dining out requires you to travel, change clothes, order and then wait for your food. More importantly, if a restaurant is particularly busy then you will have to wait until you seated, serviced and furnished your restaurant bill. With all that considered, it seems kind of a hassle to do daily, is it not? Eating out will take a considerable chunk of your evening, so you might as well cook for the week, reheat them when you get home and then, you are done. A process that is simple and straightforward.

 

You do not learn anything

One of the excellent things about preparing your own meals is discovering new ways to tweak your cooking to you and your family’s preferences. Similarly, it allows you to learn new recipes, create them at home and give them your very own personal touch. However, if you are constantly dining out, you will be effectively depriving yourself of this opportunity as having someone else cook for you would eliminate the immersive learning experience. Constantly eating out makes you neglect the little things such as the pride of being able to say you successfully cooked something or the joy of recreating a favorite dish.

 

It is less healthy

Let us face it: You do not know what goes into your food in restaurants. When you cook at home, you have more leverage as to what ingredients to use and which ones never to include. Dining out eliminates such possibility. Sure, you can name things you do not wish to be in your meal but at the end of the day, you have no idea about what goes into the preparation of your food. Some of these may be healthy while some of it would be not. However, as what you are essentially eating is the finished product, you would never know. While these ingredients are no exactly toxic, they can be unhealthy and harmful to you if ingested frequently. So be a little meticulous about your meals and opt for home cooked meals.

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Industry Secrets: Four Menu Items Chefs Would Advise You against Ordering

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” –Franz Kafka

 

Most of us love the prospect of dining out.

After all, food is so much more delicious when you know that you are not going to be doing the dishes and the cleanup thereafter. However, regardless of how sophisticated and luxurious a restaurant claims to be, there will still be a myriad of menu items you wish you had never ordered. After all, just because it has a prestigious name to its belt or a number of awards and Michelin stars to its name does not perfunctorily guarantee the quality of the dish. Unfortunately, it can be rather hard to determine the true secrets of commercial kitchens. It is for this very reason that some restaurant chefs would be glad to shed some light on that matter so as to better educate their potential diners. So, if you are planning to dine out anything soon (whether that may be in one of the Nuvali Restaurants or elsewhere fancier), you might want to keep the following food items that chefs would refuse to try given that the eatery or restaurant does not bear their name:

Skip the specials

Some restaurants tend to push their specials to diners under the guise that it is an off-price meal or because it is supposedly the best-seller. However, do not let your servers fool you as their reasons are anything but culinary. More often than not, restaurants push their specials in an effort to get rid of a food item or ingredient that is about to go bad which accounts for the discounted price. Never order the specials as restaurants tend to put it together based on what is about to expire or trying to get rid of faster. Meal specials may present themselves to you through the suggestion of your server or through the daily special board. Do not fall for them, instead, ask the servers to recommend something that is made with local ingredients or what arrived fresh that day.

Only ever order oysters in restaurants and eateries near beaches

If you have a penchant for consuming orders, your best bet would be to go to restaurants or eateries located on the beach or at least one in a coastal location. Alternatively, you can choose one that is known locally for seafood. But even then, it is inadvisable to eat oysters raw unless you can smell salt in the air—even if the restaurant claims to be a high-tier eatery that specializes in seafood. If there is no body of water in proximity to the restaurant, there is a likely chance that the oysters are harvested miles away from the restaurant serving them. Remember, if stored and handled incorrectly, raw oysters would not only poison you, they can also kill you. In this regard, it might be best to choose something that is thoroughly cooked instead.

Size up the menu before you order

Extensive menus such as the ones in chain restaurants tend to mitigate the possibility of a family’s disagreement about where to eat, however, it might come at a cost. Huge menus often mean skimping on ingredients. So, if you wish to have fresh and local ingredients, you might want to avoid chain restaurant establishments. In an effort to meet the demands of an extensive menu, large chains would often bring everything in frozen at least once or twice a week. In this regard, it is advisable to peruse a restaurant menu first. If the entrees alone would take up more than two pages long, then it is highly likely that they are keeping a large inventory of food. More often than not, what is served to your table is not exactly a fresh meal.

Germs on your nibs

In an effort to help you stave off your hunger (as well as appease your impatience), restaurants tend to serve you pre-dinner snacks in the form of a bread basket or bar nubs. However, chefs would advise you against reaching for it. Unless you are dining at an incredibly prestigious and lofty restaurant, there is a likely chance that the bowls are not washed between patrons—especially if you are dining at a rather busy establishment. In this regard, you cannot account for the other fingers other than your own that have already dipped into the nut or pretzel bowl. Moreover, you would already be ruining your appetite before you are even served. So, you might as well keep your hands to yourself and resist dipping your fingers into a communal bowl of nibs.

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Dining Out: Level Up Your Dining Experience with These Five Tried and Tested Restaurant Tips

 

“Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Do not forget food. You can go a week without laughing.”-Joss Whedon

Food has always been known to be an incredibly paramount aspect in an individual’s daily lives that even the mere act of its consumption is oft-regarded an experience on its own—particularly when it is done in restaurants.

Food is known to be a universal experience which all individuals develop a kind of relationship with and would equally enjoy whichever part they are in the world. In this regard, food is not only diverse in the sense that you can experience a myriad of world flavors but experience a slice of culture in another part of the globe as well. For this reason, restaurants and eateries dedicated to specific foreign cuisines have proliferated in cities where they can offer their distinct and unique flavors as well as their gastronomic and epicurean offerings. It is for this reason that we dine out in restaurants as a regular weekend thing to do or to celebrate occasions. If you have a proclivity for dining out or simply have developed a unique affinity for trying out new food, then there is a strong likelihood that you dine out more than usual—sometimes alone or with family or friends.

If this is the case, then there is certainly a number of things you can do to ensure that you can level up the next time you do dine out. Whether you may be planning to eat at one of the Nuvali restaurants or elsewhere, here are things you can do to enhance your overall dining experience:

 

1.) Do not always rely on the Yelp app

Researching a particular restaurant’s reviews and ratings before dining is not only advisable, it is, in fact, recommended. However, do not make the mistake of relying on online reviews and ratings too much. This is not to say that they are not entirely reliable, but know that they can sometimes be misleading. In fact, there have been instances wherein restaurants were suspected of leveraging their ratings through their own submission of reviews. To figure out whether you wish to eat there or not, simply go to a restaurant’s website and take a gander at their menu. If it is within your budget range, then it would be best if you be the arbiter of whether or not you actually like the food. Do not let apps such as Yelp or other websites decide on the final verdict for you.

2.) Reserve tables beforehand

It is highly recommended that you make a reservation prior to actually making dinner arrangements at a restaurant—especially if the restaurant in question is rather popular. Some restaurants may not even accept walk-in diners depending on their policy, so it is always best to call and make a reservation beforehand. You would not want to show up at a restaurant door only to be turned away at the last minute, would you? It takes only a couple of minutes of your time and ensures that you would get seated—regardless of how busy a restaurant might be.

3.) Be sure to arrive hungry

Restaurants were made to either indulge our discriminating palate or satisfy our hunger pangs. In this regard, it is best to get there prepared by being hungry enough to really take advantage of the food. With this in mind, do not eat too much beforehand or eat very light snacks. You want to sample as many food items as you can possible, and this would only work if you arrive with a hungry stomach.

4.) Do not overlook the appetizers

Many diners make the mistake of disregarding appetizers on the whole and going straight for the entrees. Although entrees are generally more expensive than appetizers, many diners have developed this notion of mitigating their restaurant bill by eating one full entrée meal than leave with a not-so-full stomach filled with entrees primarily. Reconcile this predicament by ordering at least one entrée and several appetizers. This is an especially excellent tactic for diners in a group as you can have a taste of various appetizers and still enjoy an entrée each. Ordering more appetizers allows you to have a more diverse dining experience and would allow you to eat more of what they can offer.

5.) Be nice to your waiter

Although the horror stories about restaurant servers are not all necessarily true, it still pays to be nice or even befriend your waiter. Apart from taking your orders and giving them to you, you can trust them to recommend what is actually good on the menu as well. Most restaurants—especially the top-tiered ones—would have servers who have actually tried the menu items, so they are well-acquainted with the food and can give you recommendations that are based on their personal preferences.

 

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First Dates: Five Reasons Bringing Your First Date to an Italian Restaurant is a Good Idea

“Dating is a numbers game. What we try to promise is good first dates. Once that first date happens, it is really up to you.”  -Sam Yang

 

First dates are known to be the primary dates that would normally set the tone of how the rest of your dates would look like.

Similarly, first dates exist to ensure that you make a good impression insomuch that you would score a second date. In this regard, it has been said that you should take your first dates out to a restaurant. In this way, even if the date took a turn for the worse, you still had a good meal out of it. In this time and age, taking your dates out to a restaurant is not only a recommended practice but a customary one–so much so that most dates would start out that way. However, with a myriad of eateries and cafes in cosmopolitan cities such as Metro Manila, it can be rather hard to select just one. However, while indeed you have a wide array of restaurants to choose from, take our advice and bring your date to an Italian restaurant.

Why Italian? Well, while there might be a string of good restaurateurs in the area from the Nuvali restaurants to the relatively unknown ones, having just one meal at an Italian resto would be enough to outfit you with everything you genuinely need to know about your date before you even think of having a second meeting. And it does not have to be pricey either! Your Italian restaurant options can range from having lunch in your local pizza joint to something more impressive and upscale like an authentic and legitimate Italian restaurant that serves only the finest wine. Here are some of the reasons why having Italian on the first date is a good idea:

1.) You will have fun while wine tasting

Not to be pretentious, but knowing how your date likes their wine (or not at all) would give you an insight of the kind of character they are. Even if the both of you personally do not drink, wine tasting and testing can be very educational and fun. Moreover, adding cold cuts and cheese on the side can truly amplify the experience. If you have a penchant for imbibing yourself with wines and you went on a date with a guy who never cared for them, it might give you the cognizance of your drinking problem.

2.) It gives you an insight of whether or not your date is fussy

One benefit of taking your dates on Italian first dates is to know at this stage of the relationship whether they are fussy or not. How do they like their salad? With dressing on the side? Are they a bit too persnickety about their orders? Do they ask for add-ons? More importantly, how much do they try to customize their order? For most, this might just be a preference thing, but it could be a nod towards their proclivity for being controlling. That does not necessarily have to be a bad thing though, but it all depends on what kind of person you are looking to be in a relationship with.

3.) Have your own spaghetti moment

If you have an unrealized dream of recreating an iconic Disney scene, then now might your chance. The Lady and the Tramp had an iconic scene and we are pretty sure you know what we mean as most of you could readily identify with the wish for recreating that particular scene in real life. Instead of having two separate orders, share one pasta plate and eat it together. If are rather strategic with your approach, you can choose to eat the same piece of pasta your date is choosing from the other end and have it culminate into your very own Lady and the Tramp moment. Be sure that you are comfortable enough with your date before trying to attempt this!

4.) It will always feel special

It has been said that Italians are the best cooks in the world. In this regard, whatever meal you might choose to go with will always end up impressing you in more ways than you can imagine. Furthermore, Italians are known to make each meal an experience insomuch that their promise to deliver you good food is further enhanced by the kind of dining ambiance you would have. It does not matter whether you choose to go big or small either as most Italian restaurants would have that subtle charm that most other restaurants lack.

5.) You can satisfy your craving for Italian food

At the end of the day, Italian food will always taste great. After all, you would be hard pressed to find an individual who does not have a hankering for carbs, cheese, and tomato or a fusion of all those. So, go ahead and take your date out to an Italian eatery. Apart from ensuring you will have a great dining experience, you will also have a meal to remember.

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The Top Five Reasons to Dine Out this Week

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like an let the food fight it out inside.” -Mark Twain

There are a lot of reasons for dining out.

For one, you might not be so skillful in the kitchen as you wish to be plus you actually want to enjoy the masterful creations of seasoned chefs and have a slice of their expertise if you may. On the other hand, dining out can be quite exorbitant depending on where you wish to eat. To others, it might even be considered as somewhat of a minor luxury.

However, all that aside, we can all agree that going out for a good meal is always a highlight. It would not only nourish your body, but it would take away all the stressors in your life—at least in just that moment. There is just something about savoring every bite of a good meal that is prepared just for you and in one way or another, it is both a gustatory and gastronomic experience. In this regard, one can say that dining out is one of the easiest avenues for rewarding yourself after a busy week. So, if you have been incredibly productive for the past few days, go ahead and give yourself a treat in the form of eating in one of Nuvali’s restaurants or elsewhere of your preference. In any case, here are some of the good reasons why you should dine out this coming weekend:

1.) You need a break

If you are constantly preparing food for your family, then it would be nice to have food prepared for you for once—even if you have to pay for it. Apart from not having to prepare and cook the food, dining out would also effectively eliminate the possibility of doing dishes. Regardless of who you might be, it is a universal truth that dish-washing is that one chore everyone hates to do. At the very least, it is a tedious task. So, why not avoid it altogether and dine out with your family? Apart from enjoying a meal professionally made for you to enjoy, you and your family would not have to argue about who gets to do the dishes for that night.

2.) You cannot imagine making complicated recipes at home

While cooking tutorials, and online recipes are readily available to stream online whenever you wish, you simply do not have the time to do it. Yes, eggs Benedict for breakfast sounds like a delight, and a wagyu steak dinner is divine, but unfortunately, you neither have the ingredients nor the time to do it before or after work. Furthermore, you are not entirely sure if your initial execution would turn out right. So, why not address all these simply by dining out? Try out that dish you have always wanted and maybe when you have enough time, you would learn how to simulate the very same recipe.

3.) You all get to taste something different

Generally, what you cook at home is for everyone’s consumption. In this regard, if you opted to make mac and cheese for the night, then everyone gets to have mac and cheese. When you dine out, however, each of your family members gets to choose a dish to their like. As dining out does not necessarily have any rules on food being a communal thing, you can even get to taste what your spouse and children are having. With this in mind, you can taste a whole range of dishes granted that everyone orders something different and that you are a member of that group as well.

4.) You get to be pampered by the dedicated staff

Restaurants typically have a team of servers and dedicated staff to ensure you get the best dining experience possible. A good restaurant makes certain they only employ diligent and hardworking employees who are committed to giving their patrons and diners a positive dining experience. If you wish to be pampered while eating good food, you might as well dine out and sample the offerings of your local restaurant.

5.) Try something new

When you dine at home, it can be rather easy to keep on repeating the same recipes over and over again. In fact, you might fall into the comfort zone of cooking the same things regularly because they are easy to make or because the ingredients are not expensive. In this regard, you would miss out on trying out the things that are outside your comfort zone. Restaurants give you a myriad of options and would allow you to expand your culinary horizons and may even be an avenue to traveling the world—solely with the sense of taste.

 

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Etiquette 101: The Unspoken Rules of Dining at Restaurants

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” –Luciano Pavarotti

At some point in our lives, we are inevitably going to dine out and enjoy a meal prepared by someone else. However, regardless of whether you are dining at a multi-awarded Michelin star restaurant, a humble eatery joint, in one of the Nuvali restaurants or even a fast food restaurant chain, know that you should conduct yourself in a manner that befits the place. In this regard, you should never forget your dining etiquette nor common manners and good courtesy when you are dining in a location other than your own. Unfortunately, some people have erroneously associated payment for service to free reign as to how you comport yourself. This strong sense of entitlement among inconsiderate diners could not be any further from the truth. After all, you may be paying for a service, but that does not automatically give you an excuse for being an
unsatisfactory human. To truly elevate your dining experience, know that you have to do your part as well. A combination of proper dining etiquette, recognition for unspoken social contracts and basic courtesy are some of the elements that keep our collective dining culture intact and thriving.

As part of the dining clientele, you should do your part as well and make the entire experience easy and comfortable not only for you but for other patrons as well. However, as most of these etiquette rules remain primarily unspoken, it might be best to be aware of the rudimentary ones at the very least. So, if you find yourself dining someplace else, here are some of the things you ought to keep in mind:

1.) Do not let your kids run around

If you have to bring kids with you, make sure that they behave themselves while you are at the restaurant. Do not leave them to run around where they can bump into servers who are carrying hot plates of food. Furthermore, when you are seated in a booth, ensure that they behave while they are seated and try to keep them as quiet as possible. Having your kids behave ensures not only their safety but the other diners’ as well. Kids who run amok are considered a nuisance in busy restaurants, and if you cannot control them, it would be best if you left them at home.

2.) Tip the servers

Not only is this unspoken rule elementary, but it is also a primary sign of courtesy to your servers as well. Unless you an additional service charge is included on your total bill, you are expected to tip your servers. To be on the safe side, at least tip them ten percent. Do not be a cheapskate and tip your servers accordingly. Take note: If you can afford to dine out, you can very much afford to tip your servers.

3.) Do not ask your servers for take-home meals only to eat them at the restaurant

A common practice among parsimonious diners is to ask their servers to have their meals to go only for them to eat it at the restaurant—just so they can avoid tipping them. Some individuals might view this as a creative way to save money while dining out, but to be quite honest, this practice is incredibly miserly—not to mention rude. You might have saved your servers the hassle of cleaning up your dirty dishes by using disposable ones, but that does not mean that they are not rendering you service which you should pay them for. Apart from occupying a booth that could have been given to another paying customer; you are also subjecting them to the cleanup of the very table you have just occupied. Your refusal to tip your server speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. If you cannot tip your servers, eat at home.

4.) Get off the phone when placing an order

Regardless of whether you are placing an order at a five-star restaurant or at a fast food chain, be sure to give the server your undivided attention. In this regard, you should tell them your order face to face and get off the phone as a common courtesy. Having the server wait for you to finish your call is not only inconsiderate but incredibly disrespectful. Furthermore, you would be effectively annoying the rest of the customers queuing behind you by holding up the line. Take note: You are only one of the series of diners and patrons your server is catering to. At the very least, be thoughtful enough to give them your orders immediately when they are ready to take it.

5.) Be patient and courteous

All things considered, everything listed in this article would just boil down to being a decent human—which means being courteous and patient. If a server is busy tending to other tables, do not tap your foot impatiently while waiting to be served. That is just incredibly rude. Remember, the ratio for a server to tables is probably 1 for every 3-5 tables (or maybe even more), so be a little understanding if your server has not approached you in the last five minutes you have called their attention. More often than not, they know you have called them but are busy attending to another diner at the moment. At the very least, wait your turn; you will get tended to as well—just be patient.

 

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